Ah, the soundtrack to our childhood nightmares... Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the songs in animated kids movies that always send a chill racing up our spines.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the songs
00:11in animated kids movies that always send a chill racing up our spines,
00:15especially when we listen a little more closely.
00:23Number 30. The Headless Horseman. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
00:28What is it about older tunes that make them sound so spooky?
00:31Just gather round, and I'll elucidate on what goes on outside when it gets late.
00:38Long about midnight, the ghosts and banshees, they get together for their nightly jamboree.
00:43Of course, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is supposed to be scary, but even outside of
00:48that context, there's something about the staticky recording and high-pitched backing
00:51vocals that feels disconcerting. In the second story of this anthology movie,
01:05Brom Bones narrates through song the tale of the Headless Horseman in order to scare Ichabod,
01:10and hopefully get him out of the picture when it comes to wooing a certain lady.
01:14Despite the rhythm being so upbeat, the lyrics and visuals are about as Halloween-y as they come.
01:22Number 29. Waiting on a Miracle and Canto. While I Want songs can sometimes be melancholic,
01:32Mirabelle's is straight-up eerie.
01:34Hey, I'm still a part of the family, madrigal, and I'm fine, I am totally fine.
01:42I will stand on the side as you shine. I'm not fine.
01:49This is a family who's supposed to be tightly knit and so full of love and help to give.
01:54Waiting on a Miracle is our first real glimpse into just how much pain there is hidden in its
01:58members that's going unnoticed. Anyone in Mirabelle's position would feel just as isolated
02:11as she does, and it's remarkable how much she tries to tamp down her heartbreak.
02:15Don't feel regret or sad at all.
02:18The final straw comes when she's left out of the family photo, and then we watch as our
02:22protagonist begs for her family to see her, with every plea falling on deaf ears.
02:27All I know is I can't stay on the side. Open your eyes, open your eyes.
02:35Number 28. Prince Ali Reprise, Aladdin.
02:39There's someone I'm dying to introduce you to.
02:42Jafar, get your hands off her!
02:43Prince Ali? Yes, it is he, but not as you know him.
02:48This reprise is so unnerving because it takes such a buoyant song and contorts
02:52it into something sinister enough to fit the all-is-lost moment of the movie.
02:56Say hello to your precious Prince Ali!
02:59Or should we say Aladdin?
03:02Instead of Genie's happy, bright vocals, we get Jafar's low, menacing tones as he relishes in
03:07Aladdin's undoing, taking back everything Genie gave him. It's heartbreaking to watch Jafar
03:12puppeteer around someone who normally has so much energy and bravery. Genie looks so devastated as
03:17he watches Aladdin launched off into the distance, knowing he's powerless to do anything to help.
03:22And we're right there with him.
03:24Ex-Prince Ali!
03:33Number 27. Trust in Me, The Jungle Book.
03:37Yes, man-cub. So nice to see you again.
03:44Snakes have long since been a symbol of deception as they recall the original sin of humankind.
03:49No animated serpent signals this as well as Ka, the Indian python who intends to
03:54turn Mowgli into his lunch.
04:03We get a glimpse of his hypnosis techniques at the beginning of the film,
04:07but this time around he's afforded more than just a creepy lullaby.
04:10Now the music is following his vocals as he lulls Mowgli into a sleep-like state.
04:15You can sleep safe and sound.
04:22Ka's voice actor, Sterling Holloway, strings out every syllable he can,
04:27upping the audience unease masterfully and making this whole segment one we
04:31never wanted to sit through as kids. Number 26. The Next Right Thing, Frozen 2.
04:45Loss and grief are powerful themes to construct a song around,
04:49and some of the lyrics in The Next Right Thing demonstrate exactly that.
04:53Anna is broken and lost, and in a darker place than we've ever seen her before.
04:57I've seen dark before, but not like this. This is cold, this is empty, this is numb.
05:07Of course, the song offers some genuine and realistic advice about moving through mourning,
05:12but that doesn't overshadow just how much pain there is. Kristen Bell conveys so much emotion
05:17through her voice alone, especially in places when it seems Anna is so shattered she can barely speak,
05:22never mind sing. This grief has a gravity, it pulls me down.
05:29It's the Frozen franchise's darkest moment yet, and only balmed by Elsa winding up okay.
05:35Number 25. Les Poissons, The Little Mermaid.
05:38As funny as it is for the audience, poor Sebastian's having the worst time of his life,
05:49traumatized by the sight of his fellow sea friends becoming dinner. He spends the song
05:53trying to stay alive, and also trying to keep his lunch down as the chef delights in chopping,
05:58dicing, and boiling. Unfortunately, it's not long before the chef notices the little crab,
06:10and he's soon prepped to join the other fish. That is, until the chef notices he's not yet dead.
06:22Sebastian was always operating way above his pay grade, but this is a whole other level
06:26of disturbing business. Number 24. Remains of the Day, Corpse Bride.
06:37Don't let the high energy of this song fool you, it's as macabre as can be. Remains of the Day
06:42tells Emily the Corpse Bride story, how she fell for a man who wanted nothing but her wealth,
06:47and would end up murdered by him on their wedding night.
07:00Add in the reminder that, hey, we're all gonna end up dead someday,
07:04and we're all shifting around uncomfortably in our seats.
07:18With Tim Burton at the helm of this movie, ominous subject matter delivered through a
07:22cheery beat is right at home. Number 23. Sally Song, The Nightmare Before Christmas. It feels
07:29only natural that Tim Burton and Henry Selleck's stop-motion masterpiece would feature some
07:34unnerving ballads. It's Sally Song, however, that goes a step beyond that and ventures into
07:45the territory of downright haunting. Much of the credit can be given to Catherine O'Hara's
07:50performance, and her high, thin crooning. It perfectly matches the unearthly tone and content
08:05of the number, as Sally has a premonition, a terrible feeling that something bad is about
08:09to happen to Jack. The lyrics end with her mourning unrequited love and us trying to shake off
08:15goosebumps. It's never to be kind, for I am not the one. Number 22. One of Us, The Lion King 2,
08:28Simba's Pride. Oh, where do I start? Kiara, Zira had a plot. I was part of it, but I don't want to
08:37be, because it's because I love you. In The Lion King sequel, we follow a new generation of lions,
08:44Kiara, Simba's daughter, and Kovu, who was raised by a group of S.C.A.R.S. followers. It's a Romeo
08:50and Juliet tale until Kovu ends up framed for an attack on Simba. He asks to be heard and tries
08:55to explain, but Simba, who already had his suspicions, will hear none of it and exiles
09:00Kovu from the Pride lands. This is the piece that accompanies that dire moment. The animals
09:14express feelings of betrayal and hurt, and the chorus of so many hymning together as Kovu is
09:19chased away becomes increasingly off-putting. Number 21. Worthless, The Brave Little Toaster.
09:38You see, you never quite know what he's going to do. He's so spontaneous. This is one of those
09:44movies you're not sure managed to ever be vetted for young audiences. We follow a group of abandoned
09:49appliances as they journey to find their owner and hopefully become reclaimed. Along the way,
09:54we get some truly harrowing moments, some of which are musical. Although it's a B-movie,
10:06it's leagues beyond creepy. Worthless is even more messed up. It's sung by the old and run-down
10:11vehicles who are about to be crushed to death. They sing about their exciting pasts and lives
10:16full of life, only to end up here. Number 20. High Diddle Dee Dee, Pinocchio.
10:32This is one of those songs that radiates It's a Small World energy. It's upbeat and deceivingly
10:42cheery, but there's something so downright unsettling about it at the same time.
10:47Maybe it's because we often associate older-sounding music with being creepy,
10:52or maybe it's because, unlike It's a Small World, we know for certain something
10:56sinister is going on in this scene. Pinocchio, in all his childhood innocence, is being swindled
11:10by the typically shifty fox character. The scene radically exudes stranger danger. It only gets
11:16scarier once Jiminy Cricket catches wind of what's going on and we see his point of view
11:21through odd distorted angles. At least Pinocchio is the only singing doll here.
11:30Number 19. How Bad Can I Be, The Lorax. Ah yes, the absolutely wild deviation from
11:37Dr. Seuss's standard formula. The number definitely goes harder than it needs to,
11:42and in all fairness, it doesn't start out so dark.
11:55We've got a rainbow in the clouds, some impressive guitar playing,
11:59and some rather enthusiastic forest animals. But before long, the once-ler is slipping into
12:04Slytherin-reminiscent attire and a sense of foreboding starts to build in this ridiculously
12:09catchy number. Axes fly, trees fall, and an almost comically realistic montage of corporate
12:16greed overwhelms the scene. This song puts the term scaling into new perspective. A giant,
12:36towering once-ler is scarier than it needs to be,
12:39and the message is made even gloomier with the current state of environmental affairs IRL.
12:44Number 18. Shiny, Moana. This is some great directing. Tamatoa, the giant coconut crab,
13:07not only looks menacing in his grandiose size and low-angle shots, he's also decidedly frightening
13:13with the lyrics he sings. Make no mistake, Tamatoa doesn't care for glam and gold so much
13:27as he does his meals, which is the whole reason he prioritizes being shiny. It lures other animals
13:33who live in the sea and the crab, in turn, has himself a nice lunch or dinner.
13:50Apparently he isn't very picky with what comes his way, because he has every intention of eating
13:55humans and demigods too. He's about as subtle as the surface of his shell, we'll just say that.
14:04Number 17. Mad Madam Mim, the sword in the stone.
14:10Madam Mim's character design is already terrifying enough, never mind when she begins to sing and
14:15dance. We've got yet another case of supersizing, which always succeeds in startling us.
14:33But the tiny bird-sized Madam Mim is pretty unnerving too. As if that wasn't enough,
14:38we quickly get to see just how far her shapeshifting abilities extend.
14:49So what's the verdict? Do we think she's creepier with a pig snout, or is the beautiful lady that
14:54so obviously has something unnatural about her? Our vote goes to the cat form, but anything with
15:00those piercing green eyes and shrill voice is bound to give us the heebie-jeebies.
15:12Number 16. The Siamese Cat Song, Lady and the Tramp.
15:17Though the song itself definitely has not aged well, Peggy Lee is a voice we always associate
15:22with warm, full, strong exuberance. Nothing like the high, thin voices of the Siamese cat twins
15:28from Lady and the Tramp.
15:46The unearthliness of the characters can probably most be attributed to their designs and how they
15:53move so fluidly in sync. Although the song really isn't very long at all, it's awfully recognizable
15:59and you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan who doesn't hear the well-known lyrics in their
16:03minds when faced with an actual Siamese cat. We're not sure if all Siamese cats are as sneaky
16:08and slippery as these two, but this song certainly made our younger selves believe as much.
16:14Number 15. Sleeping Beauty, Sleeping Beauty.
16:26This is a rather beautiful but spine-chilling melody. The scene begins with the three good
16:30fairies lamenting over Aurora, who's just succumbed to her hundred-year sleep. While
16:36dark or creepy aren't the first adjectives you're likely to use to describe the sound,
16:40it still carries a weight that always seems to make our hearts heavy.
17:00It's undeniably eerie watching the fairies put the whole castle into a quiet, morose slumber.
17:06The idea that the whole kingdom will come to a standstill for the next century is pretty dark,
17:11especially when you consider the only people who would have been awake for the duration of it.
17:15By the time the last candle has been delicately snuffed out, we're left with goosebumps.
17:36Number 14. Heffalumps and Woozles, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.
17:46If you've feared astral projection since you were a kid, we may have some answers for you.
17:51As he falls asleep, we see Winnie the Pooh transported into a nightmare sequence that
17:55goes a few steps past unsettling. Heffalumps, in case you're curious, are the elephant-like
18:01creatures you see in the sequence, while Woozles are the ones sort of resembling weasels.
18:12The latter are actually known for stealing honey,
18:15which certainly puts the dream into a bit more context for the character.
18:19The talent of the composers is apparent and we bet they had a ton of fun crafting this bit,
18:24but it was a lot less fun for us and Pooh Bear. Poor thing, look at him,
18:28he doesn't deserve to be scarred like this.
18:32Number 13. Pink Elephants on Parade, Dumbo.
18:47Yeah, so this is terrifying. The whole trippy, psychedelic art style would have
18:52maybe been okay on its own if not for the very weird imagery accompanying it.
18:57Plus, they managed to make the music sound so foreboding,
19:00our stomachs are twisting uncomfortably even now.
19:11If you've got very young children, do them a favor and don't let them watch Dumbo until
19:15they're just a little bit older. You remember the scene of Dumbo crying over his mom, right?
19:20The trauma is strong with this one. Like, seriously, what is that grotesque elephant
19:25head monster? We're good to never see another pink elephant again, thanks.
19:37Number 12. Mother Knows Best, Tangled.
19:41As far as villain numbers go, this is definitely one for the history books.
19:45We obviously knew Mother Gothel was evil before this, but her song shows us exactly how she
19:51scares Rapunzel into compliance, and likely how she's been doing it since she kidnapped her.
20:09The worst part is that, while she's exaggerating, Gothel definitely isn't lying.
20:14The world's a scary place. Of course, the role of a parental figure or guardian is to teach their
20:19kids to navigate that scary world, not fear it so badly they never want to leave.
20:33Another example of fabulous directing, this scene plays wonderfully with lighting,
20:38shadows and lyrical cues. Still, the spookiest part of it is watching Gothel's maltreatment
20:44of Rapunzel play out right in front of us.
20:50Number 11. My Lullaby, The Lion King 2, Simba's Pride.
21:05There's a lot to be put off by in this scene. For one, young Kovu doesn't deserve to be
21:10manipulated by Zira, especially not when he's just a cub. For another, Zira's lyrics,
21:16when you really pay attention to them, spell out some pretty nasty desires.
21:21Not only does she long to kill Simba, but his wife and daughter are mentioned too.
21:27Actually, she makes no attempts to hide her ideal outcome.
21:35It doesn't get much darker than that. The rest of the song goes on to detail
21:39how she'll raise Kovu to take his vengeance and turn him into a killer.
21:47Yeah, we don't really feel like dozing off right now.
22:00Number 10. Friends on the Other Side, The Princess and the Frog.
22:10Voodoo Man Dr. Facilier is here to facilitate your dreams.
22:16While trying to rope Prince Naveen into his dark schemes, Facilier sings this seductive
22:26song telling him about his past, present, and future. It may seem that Facilier is showing
22:31Naveen the future he dreams of, but when you listen a little closer, he is actually predicting
22:36Naveen's fate as a frog. It's never said explicitly as Facilier simply
22:46refers to the source of his powers as his friends from the other side.
22:50When his voodoo dolls, masks, and talking heads join in on the spooky rhythm,
22:55it is clear he's talking about evil spirits.
23:06Number 9. Toxic Love, Fern Gully, The Last Rainforest.
23:16The humans have gone too far. They've caused so much pollution that the evil spirit Hexus
23:22uses all the smog and oil to resurrect his powers. Don't let the song's bluesy beat,
23:27smooth sax, and Tim Curry absolutely giving this song distract you from the disturbing message.
23:33The entire movie, and this song in particular,
23:36warn against the true cost of pollution and deforestation.
23:51As Hexus prepares to ooze all over Fern Gully, he sings this love song to all the animals he'll
23:57consume, the trees he'll destroy, and most importantly to the greed of humans that brought
24:03them together. Number 8. The Mob Song, Beauty and the Beast.
24:25Also affectionately known as Kill the Beast, this song shows how mob mentality takes over
24:31and turns the townspeople into a murderous horde. Much like how real-life incidents of
24:35mob violence begin, this tune starts as a whisper, rumors passing between the townspeople,
24:41and quickly erupts into a rallying cry by Gaston to storm the castle and kill the beast.
24:53Gaston plays on the townspeople's fears and calls to them to literally grab torches and pitchforks
24:59like a scene straight out of any classic monster movie.
25:09Number 7. Savages, Pocahontas.
25:19Governor Ratcliffe has been looking for the perfect justification to invade Chief Powhatan's land,
25:24and now he has it. After an altercation between John Smith and Kokuum that results
25:29in Kokuum's death, John is taken to pay for his crime. Ratcliffe wastes no time sounding the drums
25:36of war, with the Native Americans following suit to defend themselves. Though it isn't handled with
25:41the most sensitivity or nuance, what makes this song so dark is how deeply rooted in truth it is.
25:55It's a pretty heavy message in a kid's movie that wars are fought because cultures distrust each
25:59other simply because they're different.
26:05Number 6. Be Prepared, The Lion King.
26:16As green smoke billows from the ground, Scar walks straight towards you. So close it almost feels
26:22like he's going to walk right out of your screen. Scar is not a subtle character, and there's no
26:27beating around the bush when he sings flat out about murdering his own brother and nephew to
26:32take their throne.
26:43Like any good tyrant, he promises his subjects extravagance in exchange for their support and
26:49obedience. Dark and creepy are definitely two descriptions for this song. Scar is as menacing
26:54as ever, and the mise-en-scene perfectly conveys just how dangerous the character is.
27:07Number 5. In the Dark of the Night, Anastasia.
27:19Rasputin, the evil sorcerer, tried and failed to destroy the entire Romanov line.
27:25As punishment, he was sentenced to an eternity in purgatory. When a new opportunity to complete
27:31his dark purpose arises, he goes off on this evil villain soliloquy about how he tried to
27:36kill Anastasia as a little girl, and is now back to finish the job.
27:49Though the somewhat campy visual of his minions acting as his backup singers and dancers is a bit
27:54disarming, it's overpowered by the terrifying imagery used throughout the scene.
28:02Once Upon a December is also worth a mention. Despite how delicate and beautiful it is,
28:08Anya is dancing with the ghosts of her past, people who were very likely murdered during
28:13the siege of the palace.
28:26Number 4. Poor Unfortunate Souls, The Little Mermaid.
28:37Ursula, the sea witch, only wishes to help those poor unfortunate souls get their heart's desire.
28:42Or so she tricks Ariel into believing.
28:50The interesting thing about this song is that Ursula never technically lies to Ariel.
28:55She manipulates her into signing over her voice by telling her the truth.
28:59She confesses that she has punished those who could not pay her price.
29:03She even shows her the gruesome fate that has befallen her previous clients.
29:15And Ariel signs anyway. Ariel may think she's making a fair trade,
29:19but she's really signing away her soul to Ursula.
29:24Number 3. This is Halloween, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
29:33In a movie that's basically a horror flick for kids, all of the songs are pretty creepy.
29:38But what else would you expect from a collaboration between Tim Burton and Danny Elfman?
29:43There's a lot to simultaneously love and dread in Jack's Lament,
29:47but we had to give this entry to the famed This is Halloween.
29:51The song serves as an introduction to all of the terrifying creatures in Halloween Town.
30:03It definitely had us checking under our beds and beneath our stairs before we went to sleep.
30:09With this spooky number as one of the first songs in the movie,
30:13it makes it clear you can expect this level of creepy from here on out.
30:20Number 2. The Plagues, The Prince of Egypt.
30:24To punish Rameses for enslaving the Hebrews, God has put plagues upon the people of Egypt.
30:29In this song, Moses pleads with Rameses to let his people go.
30:33But there is another part of this tune that lies beneath the surface of the conversation
30:37between the two feuding brothers.
30:54It is the plagues creeping into Egypt.
30:57The voices start out as a whisper and grow more and more intense with each coming evil.
31:02Just as frightening as the lyrics are the images of frogs emerging from the river,
31:06locusts swarming the fields, and people being covered in boils.
31:23Number 1. Deliver Us.
31:25Deliver Us is a song equally as haunting and the accompanying visuals do little to reassure us.
31:53Make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
31:57Number 1. Hellfire, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
32:11It may have gone over your head as a kid, but when you listen to this song as an adult,
32:15you realize just how dark it was for a kid's movie.
32:19Judge Frollo has fallen in love, or rather lust, with Esmeralda.
32:33Naturally being a righteous man, none of this is his fault.
32:37The blame is all on Esmeralda for tempting him into sin.
32:41In this tune, Frollo sings about his uncontrollable thirst for Esmeralda.
32:46He will make Esmeralda his or she will burn on the pyre and continue to burn in hell.
33:01Just your average love song, right?
33:03Which song still creeps you out? Let us know in the comments.
33:26Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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